Swinging-scoop excavator



J. C. FRENGH.

SWINGING SCOOP EXCAVATOR.

, APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26. 1918. d gg gq g Pawn'lbefl; Oct 3, W22

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

Jaw/ZZZ J. C. FRENCH.

SWINGING SCOOP EXCAVATOR. APPLICMIONV FILED JAN, 26, 1918'.-

LggQ g g Patenteti m. 3, 1922,,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented @ct 3 1922.,

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 Patented @et. 3, l2.

JAMES C. FRENCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NQR T0 FER ICK C. AUSTIN,OF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS.

SWINGING-SCOOP EXGAVATOR.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. FRENCH, a citizen of the United Statesof'America, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSwinging-Scoop Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to swinging scoop excavators of that generalclass inwhich a scoop is mounted on the lower end of a beam which ispivoted on the outer end of a swinging boom and in which means are provided for operating said beam and boom, to fill the scoop and to thenraise the boom into position for the load, and for controlling the scoopto discharge the contents thereof when the desired dumping position isreached.

Generally. stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved swinging scoop excavator of the foregoing general character.

A special object is to provide an improved construction and arrangementwhereby the scoop is caused to fill or take up a load by movementthereof toward the body of the excavator, and whereby the boom and thebeam upon which the scoop is mounted can then be raised to carry theload upward to the desired dumping position.

It is also an object toprovide certain details and features ofconstruction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiencyand desirability of an excavator of this particular character. A

To the foregoing and other useful ends the invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the bodyportion of an excavator embodying the principles of the invention,showing one end thereof, and also the swinging boom, broken away andomitted for convenience of illus tration.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the boom and its pivoted beam and scoop.a

Fi ure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the full length ofthe, boom, and illustrating the beam and scoop in dumping position. I

Figure A is a plan of the scoop, on a larger scale,,and of a portion ofthe boom, being a horizontal section on line M in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of said scoop, showing the lower portionof the tilting beam.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of thelockinodevices for the scoop.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a body or main frame 1mounted on a suitable turn-table 2, which latter is supported by a truckcomprising caterpillars 3,

one at each side of the machine, of any suit-' able length, so that theexcavator is self-propelled by means of a truck upon which the bodyframe is supported through the me dium of a turn-table, whereby saidbody can be turned or rotated about a vertical axis. It will beunderstood that the other end portion of the body frame 1, which isshown broken away, may be equipped with an engine or motor for operatingthe caterpillars or other traction devices, and for operating thewinding-drum-mechanism 4: by which the various lines or cables areoperated or controlled to in turn operate or control the excavatingapparatus. Said apparatus comprises a boom 5 pivoted on the body frameat .of the boom. At its lower end said beam 7 is provided at its innerside with a transverse head 9 to one end of which the scoop 10 ispivoted at 11-, said scoop facing the body frame of the excavator,whereby the scoop must be filled by forward movement thereof toward thebody of the excavator. To hold the scoop in operative position on thehead 9, locking devices are provided, each comprising a locking bolt 12in a barrel 13, which latter contains a spring 14- to keep the lockingbolt yieldingly extended. The mouth of the scoop is provided with a pairof catches 15 to engage the outer ends of said lockin bolts, and therelative formation of said catches and locking bolts (see Figure 6) issuch that when the scoop swings upward about its lpivot 11 these catches15 will engage the b0 ts l2 and force the latter inward or backwardagainst the yielding pressure of the spring 14:, before the bolts shootinto the openings 16 of said catches, which latter will lock the scoopin operative shaft 17 is mounted transversely on the head power, or,

9 and provided with arms 18 which are suitably connected with rods 19connected with the locking bolts, whereby rocking motion of this shaftwill withdraw the bolts 12 from engagement with said catches. This ispreferably accomplished through the medium of a crank-arm 20 on therock-shaft 17, and by means of a tripping cable or line 21 secured tothis arm and extending upward and over the sheave 22 on the outer end ofthe boom, and then back to the winding-drum mechanism 4, if it bedesired to operate it by if desired, simply to a position where it canbe operated by hand to control the locking mechanism of the scoop whenit is desired to release ordump the load. The head 9, it will be seen,is held practically at right angles to the beam 7 by means of a brace 23connected to the outer end of said head. Another line 24 is connected tothe mouth of the scoop at 25, and extends upward and over a sheave 26 onthe head 9, then over the sheave 27 on the outer end of the boom 5, thenback to the winding-drum mechanism 4, whereby, after the load is dumped,a pull may be exerted on this line or cable 24 to restore the scoop tooperative position on the head 9, the previously described lockingmechanism serving automatically to lock the scoop in this raised orrestored position. In addition, the forward end of the head 9 has asheave 28 for engagin the operating cable or line 29, the latter beingfastened at one end to the base of the boom at 30, and then, afterpassing around said sheave, passing under the sheave 31 29 serves like adrag line to operate the bucket. The upper end of the beam 7. isprovided with a pivoted link 32, which is adjustably connectedtherewith, and which is in turn connected with a shorter link 33 pivotedon the boom, the joint between these two links being provided withasheave' 34 for the line or cable 35 by which the boom is raised andlowered. This line or cable 35 may be arranged in any suitable ordesired manner, and may, for example, have one end thereof secured tothe main body frame at 36, and can then pass around the sheave 34 andback to the sheave 37 on the upper portion of the main body frame, andthen downward to the winding-drum mechanism 4, so that thelatter may beoperated to raise and lower the boom. It will be seen that, with thisarrangement, a pull exerted by the winding-drum mechanism 4 on the cableor line 35 will exert a pull. on the link '32, and will thus produce, ortend to produce, a tilt-- ing motion of the beam 7, so that the latterwill be tilted outward into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure'3, whereby the scoop is then in position to be lowered into the ground,or into a loose mass of materials, to thereafter be pulled forward totake up a load. This operation of the scoo is produced, as previouslydescribed, by t e operating line or cable 29, and when the beam 7reaches the tilted position shown in full lines in Figure 3, orsubstantially so, the scoop is then in position to safely carry the loadupward and around into the dumping position.

Obviously, there are various ways of using an excavating machine, or amachine for handling materials, of the foregoing construction, and theinvention is not limited to any particular use or method of use. Forexample, the boom 5 can be lowered to bring the scoop into position foroperation,'on the ground, or in a mass of loose materials, such as coal,crushed rock, sand or gravel, and the cable or line 29 can then beoperated to pull the scoop forward, thus causing it to receive a load.Then, while maintaining a suflicient pull on the line or cable 29, tokeep the scoop in carrying position, the cable or line 35 can beoperated to swing the boom 5 upward, and thereafter, if necessary, theturntable mechanism 2 may be operated, by any suitablepower-transmitting connection with the engine or motor on the body ofthe machine, to swing the boom 5 laterally to the extent necessary tocarry the scoop around to the desired dump-in" position. Then the tripinrope or cab e 21 will be operated, either y and or by power, thusunlocking the scoop, and allowing it to tilt into the position shown infull lines in Figure 3, thereby discharging the load. For this dumpingoperation it will be necessary, of course, to ensure a slack conditionof the restoring rope or cable 24, so that the downward tilting motionof the scoop into dumping position will not be retarded. As soon,however, as the load is discharged this line or cable 24 can then beoperated by. the winding-drummechamsm, to restore the scoop to operativeposition on the head 9,, as previously. explained, thereby toautomatically lock the scoo in ralsed or operated position, so that itWlll then be ready for another operation after being lowered to theground. Of course, if the scoop is not exactly in position to take upthe load, the caterpillars or other 7 Laeoeaa will take up a load." Withthis construction, therefore, the scoop may be moved or operated in adirection to take up a load by the cable or line 29, while the entireweight of the scoop and the boom and the beam is exerted downward, andwithout. any tendency to lift the scoop. There is no lifting actionwhatever until the line or cable 29 is operated.

With the construction shown and described, it will be seen that thebucket is positively tilted up and down about its pivot 11 on the beam7, so that it is released or tripped to dump the load, and is thenpositively raised into latched position on the beam, so that it is readyfor operation whenlowered to the ground.

With the construction shown and described, it will be seen that thedrag-line 29 is connected through the locking device or latch 12 and 15to the scoop, so that the pull on the drag-line is exerted through'saidlocking device to the scoop to pull the latter along the ground, whenthe scoop is loaded. In this way, means are provided for, in effect,connecting the drag-line to and disconnecting it from the scoop.

What is claimed as my invention is:

1. In a traveling excavator, a boom, a beam pivoted on the outer end ofsaid boom, a scoop pivoted on the lower end of said beam, means to raiseand lower said boom, instrumentalities including means for controllingthe scoop to cause the up and down tilting thereof on said beam andother means for operating said scoop to take up a load and discharge thesame therefrom, including a drag line leading directly to a point at themouth of the bucket, and means to hold the scoop rigid with the beam atall times except when tilted to dump the load.

2. In a swinging scoop excavator, a boom, a beam pivoted on the outerend of said boom, a transversely disposed head on the lower end of saidbeam, a scoop pivoted on one end of said head, a latch to lock the mouthof the scoop to the other end of the head, means to raise and lower saidbeam, instrumentalities for controlling and operating said scoop to takeup a load and discharge the same therefrom, and a body frame to supportsaid boom, said scoop being disposed in position for movement towardsaid body frame to take up a load, and said inst-rumentalities includingone line for pulling the scoop forward. a second line to trip-the latchand release the load, a third line to restore the scoop to operativeposition at the lower end of said beam, means on the lower end of saidbeam to support the one line, and means on the boom to support thesecond and third lines.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said beam having a linkmechanism pivotally connected to the upper end thereof, and said liftingmeans being connected to said link mechanism, whereby operation of saidmeans to lift the 'boomserves also. after the drag line is released totilt the beam on its pivot to carry the scoop backward and outwardinto'position to again be pulled along the ground by the drag-line whenthe boom is lowered; v

4. At structure'as specified in claim 2, said beam having a parallelmotion link mechanism pivotally connected to the upper end thereof, thesecond and third lines extending around the pivot of said beam and undersaid mechanismfand said lifting means being connected to a joint of saidlink mechanism, whereby operation of said means to lift the boom servesalso to tilt the beam on its pivot.

5. In a swinging scoop machine, the combination of a boom pivotallymounted at one end to swing up and down. means whereby the boom may alsoswing sidewise. a vertically disposed beam pivoted on the outer end ofsaid boom, a pivot on the lower end of said beam, a transverselyarranged head having one end mounted on said pivot, a brace connectingthe other end of said head with said beam, so that said head is rigidwith the beam and extends toward the pivoted end of the boom, a scoophaving its rear end mounted on said pivot and its mouth or front enddisposed toward the pivoted end of said boom, means for locking thescoop against the under side of said head, a releasing line forcontrolling said locking means, means carried by said boom to supportsaid line, a restoring line for pulling the scoop upward into lockedrelation .to said head, means carried by said boom to support saidsecond line, means connected to theend of said head and operating like adragline to pull the scoop 'forward along the ground and toward thepivoted end of the boom for causing the scoop to take up a load, anddevices for raising and lowering the boom and tilting said beam thereon.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5, said devices comprising a shortlink pivoted on the boom, a long link adjustably pivoted on theupper endof said beam, with a pivotal connection between the two links, and araising and lowering line connected to said links, said releasing andrestoring lines extending around thepivot of said boom and under saidlong link.

7. In an excavator, the combination of a boom, a vertically disposedbeam pivoted on the end of said boom, means for tilting the beam aboutits pivot, a scoop pivoted on the lower end of said beam, with the mouthof the scoop facing toward the excavator, means for tilting the scoopabout its pivot, a drag'line extending directly to a point at the m uthof said scoop, means for raising and lowering said boom, and means forreleasably locking the scoop against movement relatively to said beam.said docking device being interposed between the scoop and saiddrag-line, so that the dragline is connected through the lock to thescoop.

8. In an excavator, the combination of a support, a scoop disposed onthe'bottom of said support, a pivot for the rear end of the scoop at therear end of the support, a catch on the front end of said support. meanson the front end of said scoop to engage said catch, a swinging beam tothe lower end of which the support is rigidly fixed, means to operatesaid beam, and means to release said catch to dump the load.

9. In an excavator, the combination of a scoop. a drag-line for pullingthe scoop forward along the ground, a support on which the scoopispivoted. and means including a locking device through which thedrag-line is connected to the scoop, and by which the scoop is lockedagainst movement relatively to said support.

10. A structure as specified in claim 10, in combination with means tocontrol said locking device, and means to tilt the bucket about itspivot on said support.

11. A structure as specified in claim 10,

in combination with means for pivoting said support to swing about ahorizontal axis, and means for controlling said support.

12. The combination of a scoop, a dragline for operating the scoop alongthe. ground, and means for, in effect, connecting the drag-line to thescoop and for disconnecting it therefrom.

13. A structure as specified in claim 13, said means comprising alocking device, in combination with a line to control said lockingdevice, and another line to control the scoop.

Signed by me at Chicago, Cook County. Illinois, this 18th day ofJanuary, 1918.

JAMES C. FRENCH.

